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Abstract

The number of incarcerated individuals has skyrocketed over the last thirty years. The majority of incarcerated individuals are racially minoritized individuals and many are also parents. Seventy percent of incarcerated fathers were raised in households without the presence of a father and, thus, struggle with building close relationships and maintaining family ties. More research is needed to further explore factors that influence incarcerated fathers’ familial relationships. Data were utilized from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering to answer: Do incarcerated fathers parenting attitudes predict parental warmth? Results indicated that the father’s emotional health and fatherhood attitude related to decision-making involvement was positively associated with parental warmth. Results can be used to inform clinical practice and future research in reference to incarcerated fathers and their relationships with their child(ren). Clinical implications and future directions are provided to advocate for family services as well as to better serve this population.

Keywords

incarceration incarcerated parenting parental warmth fatherhood attitudes

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Examining the Association Between Fatherhood Attitudes and Parental Warmth among Incarcerated Fathers

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